Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

What is confession?

Today, we are going to look at the second part of the passage from 1 John that we talked about yesterday, because John paints a powerful contrast in those two verses.

Let’s check it out.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for who you are. You are faithful and just. I can count on you to forgive me and cleanse me. Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross so that I could be free from the power of sin. Holy Spirit, please help me live like someone who has received mercy, because I know I have and I want it to change me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:8-9 NLT

Consider….

The contrast John is painting goes like this: We can either lie to ourselves and pretend that sin is no big deal for us. Or, we can confess our sins to God and receive His forgiveness. One way keeps us stuck in a loop of lies. One way helps us live in the truth and become the kind of people we are meant to be.

How does confession help us do that? Well, confession simply means agreement. To confess, in a Biblical sense, is to say what God would say about something. It requires that we fully acknowledge the way things really are.

Think about someone confessing to a crime. They are agreeing to the facts of the case, the reality of the situation: Something really took place that was illegal. A law was broken.

Now, take it back to the Scripture. When we confess our sin to God, we are agreeing with Him that we really, truly failed, in some way, to live up to our identity and calling as God’s image-bearers. A wrong was committed and a standard was broken. What’s that standard? Paul says it like this in Romans 3:23:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT

But again, there’s good news. Because when we agree with God about the reality of the many moments where we miss the mark, we are inviting Him to meet us with the reality of His faithfulness and mercy.

Practice…

What might it look like for you to agree with God?

To practice this, try journaling at the end of your day. Review what you did, who you talked to, and what you spent time thinking about. Then, ask yourself the question, “Would Jesus have done it that way?” If your answer is no, confess and receive God’s mercy. He is faithful to forgive you every time you ask.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes.

Ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted in your mind, and you will, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, use it as an opportunity to come back to Jesus by praying this prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.